A federal transportation grant will help the Indiana Pacers Bikeshare program nearly double the number of bicycles and stations around Indianapolis.

Mayor Joe Hogsett said that means the service will not only be able to add more Downtown stations, but it also will bring bike-sharing access to surrounding neighborhoods, the Monon Trail and other parts of the city's bike network, and Broad Ripple.

And that's not all. The city wants your help with the next step — figuring out exactly where to put those new bicycles and bike stations.

Hogsett held a news conference Tuesday celebrating the awarding of the nearly $1 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant, which will allow the city to add 25 more stations and 250 more bikes across the city by the end of 2019. The Federal Highway Administration funds will nearly double the 29 stations and 275 bicycles already available.

Today’s announcement means that the beloved Pacers Bikeshare program that has primarily served the downtown area, will now allow for increased access to neighborhoods, City’s greenway network, and the cultural district of Broad Ripple. pic.twitter.com/yhICGBIQGk

Hogsett said in a statement that the bike-sharing program has benefited residents and visitors since 2014, "which is why we’re excited to bring this network of bikes into our neighborhoods."

"At no additional cost to our taxpayers, we are doubling the amount of bikes and stations offered, and will be sure they land in the right places thanks to public input received in the coming weeks.”

Hogsett was referring to plans to host public sessions beginning in June to gather feedback about the best places to locate the new stations. Residents can sign up for a newsletter from Pacers Bikeshare for up-to-date information on public meetings and expansion plans.

Pacers Bikeshare also wants to expand the EveryBody Rides program, which provides subsidized bikeshare passes, bicycling education and group rides for low-income residents.

You get unlimited access to one of the bright yellow bikes for the length of your pass. But there's a catch: You need to check in at any of the station kiosks every 30 minutes or you will incur additional fees, which can quickly mount up.

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A rider heads up Alabama Street on a Pacers Bikeshare bicycle on June 30, 2014.(Photo: Joe Vitti/IndyStar file photo)

It has been a success from the start, officials say. More riders checked out bikes with Pacers Bikeshare in the first five months of the program than they did when a similar program launched in 2010 in Denver, considered by many to be a more bike-friendly city. An iPhone app added in 2017 now lets you join the Pacers Bikeshare program, see available bikes, check one out and map out a ride, all online.

Part of the local match was provided by a grant from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, which also supported the launch of the Pacers Bikeshare program four years ago. Pacers Bikeshare also will be starting a partnership program for business and property owners who want to have Pacers Bikeshare stations on, or near, their place of business.

“Pacers Bikeshare has transformed the way people travel in Downtown Indianapolis,” Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc. Executive Director Kären Haley said in a prepared statement. “By expanding Pacers Bikeshare to neighborhoods and along the city’s bicycle network and transit corridors, we will bring affordable and convenient transportation to more of our city’s residents, neighborhoods and destinations.”